A Lexus IS convertible coupe has been spotted out in the wild, and was photographed by an unnamed German magazine. Here’s a blown-up image, for a better look:
As for the accompanying text, there’s some horsepower number ranging from 177 to 423, which translates right across the entire IS lineup, from the 220d to the IS-F. There’s also mention of a 2009 release, and if that’s true, it means there’s plenty more information coming down the pipeline very shortly.
An Autospies reader recently posted up this scanned-in Japanese auto mag page depicting the facelifted 2009 Lexus IS:
“Top Secret” banner aside, this is likely a photochop, though subtle enough to be believable. The differences are slight, there’s some GS design incorporated into the front end, and the side panels look to be tucked in. I do like the lights pulled out of the rear bumper. Overall, it wouldn’t be a bad update. It looks more refined, more modern.
One thing’s for certain, I do hope 2009 brings a update to the IS.
Wald International has just released their IS 250/350/220d body kit, and it’s a marked improvement over the photoshop mockups:
The sports fender ducts are still in development, and will hopefully stay that way. As it stands, the kit consists of a front spoiler, side step, a rear skirt and a trunk lid spoiler. The front spoiler and trunk lid spoiler are fairly typical, but the site-step and rear skirt are umm…unique:
I have no idea why the cars are wet, which strikes me as rather strange. No word on North American availability, but cost is listed at the Wald International website (in Yen).
I was surprised to find that the IS 250/350/220d had less body kits available than the third-gen GS, as I was expecting far, far more. Thinking on it, I figure it must have something to do with the great job Lexus did designing this car in the first place. Most of the IS kits have a real “bolt-on” look, making the aftermarket parts seem really obvious, which isn’t very appealing to me.
There are exceptions though, as both the Tom’s IS45 and Carlsson IS look like natural extensions of the body. However, none match the Lexus OEM ground effects kit, pictured above, for shear subtlety, though that can hardly be consider a shock.
Which kit is the biggest departure from the base look? That’s easy:
Being in Canada, where the police drive Chevy Impalas and Dodge Chargers, I can’t imagine being pulled over by a GS 450h, it just doesn’t compute. But that’s not the case in Britain, where Lexus has been steadily making inroads into the Police Fleet market, and will be attending its sixth consecutive National Police Fleet Managers Association Conference this weekend, hawking their hybrids:
Some forces have already added Lexus hybrid vehicles to their fleets and have expressed particular satisfaction with their reliability.
Stephen Botham, Fleet and Services Manager at Wiltshire Police said: “We have been impressed by the performance of Lexus hybrids and have deployed them in a variety of operational roles.”
Andy Simpson, said, “Sales to police forces continue to increase and more are now talking to us about our product range. Hybrid technology is undoubtedly a key factor in this interest as they also hear comments about the performance and reliability from other forces that already use this technology.”
I can’t say I understand it from a marketing perspective, as fleet sales are anything but glamourous, but the increased visibility on Britain’s roads may offset this brand hit.
There’s a few things that stand out in this review, when Tom Ford compares it to the BMW 320d:
“Do you want to be able to say, ‘My car’s faster than your car?’, or do you want to say ‘My Car’s torque-r and more refined than your car?’”
“If I’ve got to cover 30,000 miles a year, I don’t want a car that only satisfies me 10% of the time, I’d prefer something that really did isolate me and make me feel comfortable 90% of the time.”
The 220d is only available in Europe, and will seemingly remain that way indefinitely.
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